What is a Portmanteau?

Merriam Webster defines portmanteau as a “word or part of a word made up of combining the spellings and meanings of two or more other words or word parts (such as smog from smoke and fog)”

Portmanteaus are more common than many people realize, and have crept into all aspects of our lexicon, from their use in popular culture (e.g., Bennifer from Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez; or Brangelina from Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie), to scientific terms (e.g., botox from botulism and toxin; or positron from positive and electron).

Portmanteaus are particularly useful in branding. A clever portmanteau, even though a coined term, can immediately convey meaning while maintaining some distinction from its root words, and hence more easily protectable as a trademark. Some notable examples are: Microsoft from microcomputer and software, Netflix from internet and flick, and Yelp from yellow pages and help.

Here are some more examples of portmanteaus:

Chortle : chuckle and snort

Brunch : breakfast and lunch

Mockumentary : mock and documentary

Liger : lion and tiger

Cockapoo : cocker spaniel and poodle

Sitcom : situational comedy

Motel : motor and hotel

Movember : moustache and November

Telethon : television and marathon

Twirl : twist and whirl

Pokemon : pocket and monster

Lenovo : legend and novo

Amtrak : American and track

Citigroup : Citicorp and Travelers Group

Comcast : communication and broadcast

Pinterest : pin and interest

Popsicle : lollipop and icicle

Spotify : spot and identify

Wikipedia : wiki and encyclopedia

Groupon : group and coupon